SOUTH BRUNSWICK — The Southern boys volleyball team was down, but not out.

The Rams dropped the first game 27-25 to St. Peter’s Prep of Jersey City. However, Southern rallied for 25-17 and 25-14 victories in the second and third games to win the NJSIAA Tournament and the state championship at South Brunswick on Thursday.

Down 8-3 in the third game, the Rams buried the Marauders under a 22-6 avalanche to capture their second straight state title. Southern erupted for 15 of the game’s final 17 points and closed with a 6-0 burst.

“Gosh, I knew we had a run in us,” said Southern coach Eric Maxwell, whose Rams also won state titles in 2010 and 2009. “I told our guys, ‘Stick together. Some teams come apart. Keep playing together. I know you have a run in you.’ There were no Xs and Os in the run. It was a matter of heart.

“I told the team, ‘You’ve gotta dig down and just gotta play. We hit a spirit level where the boys just play. When I can stop coaching, that’s when we play our best ball. Our blocks were in the right spots. Our offense was in gear. The boys knew their jobs. Once the momentum swung our way, I felt pretty good. Everyone picked it up.”

Southern sophomore outside hitter Liam Maxwell (Maxwell’s nephew) put home a kill for an 18-13 lead in the final game.

“Coach (Maxwell) told me all game that shot, deep to the left corner, was open,” Maxwell said. “That broke their backs.”

Senior middle blocker Mike Gesicki capped the win with a kill off an assist from junior setter Mike Sprague as the Rams’ fans roared their approval with a high-fiving, foot-stomping celebration that shook the bleachers.

“We showed how resilient we are,” said Gesicki, who also starred on last year’s team. “(St. Peter’s players) ride on emotion. Our schedule is so tough. They got tired in the second and third games. We were not tired. Some people say, ‘Survive and advance.’ Coach (Maxwell) says, ‘Dominate and conquer.’ We did that in the second and third games.”

Southern’s fans burst into standing ovations on the majority of the Rams’ points in the third game.

“Their fans plummeted after the first game,” Gesicki said after the Rams’ sixth straight appearance in the state championship match. “Our fans picked it up. We have the best fans in the state. They have been here before. They know it’s not the end of the world when we lose the first game.”

In the opener, the Rams trailed by as many as six, 17-11. They took their first lead, 24-23, on a block by senior right side-outside hitter Harrison Lewis. A block by junior outside hitter Jake Logue put Southern up 25-24 and capped a 14-8 run. The Marauders notched the win as they scored the final three points on kills.

“We were awful in the first game, but we still almost won,” coach Maxwell said. “After the first game, I said, ‘We’re winning the next two games.’”

Gesicki scored the Rams’ final four points of the second game, capping his outburst with a block and igniting another standing ovation.

“Last year was a great experience in this environment for me,” said Logue, who received a hug after the match from his dad, Billy. “This was chilling. Our fan base really showed up. They supported us and that helped us do it.”

“State champs—one thing that I will remember for the rest of my life,” Liam Maxwell said. I knew we would win. We never lost faith in each other. We all believe in each other.“